A gossip website has been ordered to pay $338,00 in damages today after it defamed a former Bengals cheerleader by posting anonymous comments about her sleeping with the entire team and having STDs.

Sarah Jones, 28, said outside the Kentucky court on Thursday that she was grateful the jury had taken all evidence into account. She added that 'the whole story will eventually come out' - but refused to elaborate.

A jury of eight women and two men found that the 2009 posts on website thedirty.com about Sarah Jones were substantially false at federal court in Covington, Kentucky on Thursday.

The posts were not related to the former teacher's 2012 guilty plea to charges she had sex with an underage former student Cody York to whom she is now reportedly engaged.

The internet giants warned that if upheld, the northern Kentucky judge's ruling to let the former cheerleader Sarah Jones's lawsuit proceed has the potential to 'significantly chill online speech' and undermine a law passed by Congress in 1996 that provides broad immunity to websites

Success: Ex-Bengals cheerleader and teacher Sarah Jones won her defamation trial against a website which claimed she had sex with every football player on the team

Love affair: The posts on The Dirty were unrelated to the former high school teacher's guilty plea last year to having sex with 17-year-old student Cody York (right)

The jury found website operator Nik
Richie acted with malice or reckless disregard in posting anonymous
submissions on his Arizona-based site.

One of the posts alleged Jones had sex with every Bengals player, and the other said she probably had two sexually transmitted diseases.

Jones had argued that the posts were false and malicious and caused her severe mental anguish.

Richie denied any malice and said that he didn't write the posts and was not required to fact-check submissions before posting them.

Pay-out: The posts on thedirty.com in 2009 claimed that Jones had sex with every player in the Bengals team and had STDs

Out of pocket: Website operator Nik Richie was ordered to pay ex-Bengals cheerleader Sarah Jones $338,000 in damages after he defamed her

Jones cried at times during the trial, testifying that she at one time had thought about committing suicide.

THE DIRTY.COM DECISION: WHAT WILL BE THE NATIONAL IMPACT?

The jurors' ruling in favor of Sarah Jones in the defamation suit could have wide-ranging effects on freedom of speech online - if the decision is upheld.

Website operator Nik Richie's attorney had argued that holding his client responsible for anonymous posts created by a third party would have a negative impact on the First Amendment right to free speech of other people and other websites.

Following the ruling, Jones' lawyer Eric Deters said the decision 'changed America for the better'.

Richie plans to launch an appeal immediately with his lawyer citing improper use of legislation.

Speaking to TV cameras outside court, the lawyer said that Congress passed the Communications Decency Act in 1996 to prevent people in his client's position from being liable for third-party content.

He added that hundreds of lawsuits similar to Jones have never made it court because of this legislation.

She said she hoped the jury would award damages large enough to force the website to shut down and help prevent other people from being hurt by it.

Jones filed the lawsuit more than three years ago. A January trial resulted in a hung jury.

Jurors in the retrial deliberated almost 11 hours over two days before reaching the verdict.

Outside court on Thursday, Jones said: 'I'm thankful for the jury that they took all the evidence into account today. Not everybody has the whole story and the jury was able to hear all the evidence.

She added that the whole story 'will eventually come out', WLWT reported.

David Gringas, attorney for Richie, said outside the Kentucky court that he and his client would seek a retrial after he believed jurors were given an incorrect decision by the judge.

Jones’
lawyer Eric Deters told jurors on Wednesday in his closing arguments
they had a chance to send a message to sites across the country that
they should be careful and 'it's not right to defame people'.

Richie's attorney told jurors their decision could have a negative impact on free speech for other people and websites.

Blessing: Joes said that she relied on her former student Cody to get over a difficult divorce

Controversial: Jones, 28, and her 18-year-old former student are said to be engaged

The posts were unrelated to the former high school teacher's guilty plea last year to having sex with an underage ex-student. Gingras told jurors that lies Jones acknowledged she told involving her relationship with the teen were relevant to her credibility.

Deters countered that Richie was the one on trial and jurors shouldn't consider Jones' previous actions related to the criminal case.

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Jones was allowed to avoid jail time with her plea, but was forbidden from teaching again.

The 28-year-old still has a relationship with the now 18-year-old former student, and the two are said to be engaged.

Jurors have to determine whether the posts were false and whether Richie knew the comments were false or had doubts about their truthfulness when they were posted.

Loss: Website operator Nik Richie, pictured with his reality show star wife Shayne Lamas, lost in court and was ordered to pay the ex-cheerleader substantial damages

Gingras said that while his client at
times acts like a rude 'jerk' and can be mean and disrespectful, his
perceived character flaws do not add up to actual malice since he could
not know whether the posts were true or false when he posted them, The
Kentucky Post reported.

'The
ruling you make here may or may not set the precedent for the entire
country,' Gingras told the jury. 'You might put him out of business, but
you’re not going to put the entire Internet out of business.'

Gingras
said Jones did not suffer financial loss or medical problems from the
posts and had asked that the jury award a nominal amount of $1 if they
find for her.

Deters said they are not seeking a specific amount but said Jones suffered mental anguish.

Side by side: Jones was supported by her former student during her trial for having sex with him while he was underage

Stand by me: The couple have remained together despite Jones facing jail over their relationship and plan to marry

On
Monday, Jones took the stand in the trial, boldly claiming that she had
a 'great reputation' before a gossip site 'defamed' her.

The
28-year-old sobbed as she talked about the humiliation she had suffered
after TheDirty published posts about her alleged promiscuity.

'It is cyberbullying,' Jones told the jury. 'I don't believe what the website does is fair. I don't believe it is right.'

Jones
has continued her suit despite being arrested and pleading guilty last
October to charges that she carried on a relationship with a 17-year-old
student while she was teaching at a Kentucky high school outside
Cincinnati, Ohio.